The Truth: Area 51, Book 7

Mythological artifacts become a modern arsenal in a millennia-long interstellar battle. On one side stands the alien race that styled itself as gods to secretly steer human evolution. On the other is an elite team of Area 51 commandos, dedicated to freeing humanity from their interstellar overlords. Special Forces officer Mike Turcotte and his former lover Lisa Duncan are among the few who know the truth about the extraterrestrial threat - and have the power to fight it.

I love how everything came together and thoroughly enjoyed the story, action and characters. Like the other books, this isn't terribly deep or philosophical, but sometimes you just want a fun story. I'm sad the series is over (Turcotte isn't in the next two books.)

Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries

Neil deGrasse Tyson has a talent for guiding readers through the mysteries of outer space with stunning clarity and almost childlike enthusiasm. This collection of his essays from Natural History magazine explores a myriad of cosmic topics. Tyson introduces us to the physics of black holes by explaining what would happen to our bodies if we fell into one; he also examines the needless friction between science and religion, and notes Earth's status as "an insignificantly small speck in the cosmos".

The Last Firewall

In the year 2035, robots, artificial intelligences, and neural implants have become commonplace. The Institute for Ethics keeps the peace, using social reputation to ensure that robots and humans don't harm society or each other. But a powerful AI named Adam has found a way around the restrictions. Catherine Matthews, nineteen years old, has a unique gift: the ability to manipulate the net with her neural implant. Yanked out of her perfectly ordinary life, Catherine becomes the last firewall standing between Adam and his quest for world domination.

... I won't spoil it for you, but there was a part that is missing from this book that really I expected to be there. Technically this isn't in the same series as the authors previous books, but it is an obvious continuation of book two. so I was only disappointed with one I'll be at minor detail but I thought shouldn't have been overlooked. in my opinion, this book was better than the first two and is up there along with other fun and entertaining technothrillers

A.I. Apocalypse: Singularity, Book 2

Leon Tsarev is a high school student set on getting into a great college program, until his uncle, a member of the Russian mob, coerces him into developing a new computer virus for the mob's botnet - the slave army of computers they used to commit digital crimes. The evolutionary virus Leon creates, based on biological principles, is successful - too successful. All the world's computers are infected.

this book was more enjoyable than the original and isn't dry like a few of the other robot uprising books I have listen to. One problem I found was that there was zero female interaction other than one character. But there was zero love interest anywhere. I'm surprised that I actually missed it!

The Last Jihad: Political Thrillers Series #1

Jon Bennett is a top Wall Street strategist turned senior White House advisor. But nothing has prepared him for the terror that he will face. Saddam Hussein dispatches his top hit men to assassinate the President of the United States. Iraqi terrorists spread carnage throughout London, Paris, and Riyadh...and the Butcher of Baghdad has a nuclear ace in his hand that he has not yet played.

within the first 5 minutes, it talks about: * how hard it'd be to fill GWB's shoes b/c of how effective the long war on terror was * how great it'd be to get tax rates down to 10% * how bin laden was found dead * how 'murican & british forces killed "evil terrorists" without any casualties * reagan like president * homeland security reestablishedetc

i probably should have known, but i thought i'd try it b/c it was on sale. not worth the 1/2 credit if you are at all liberal. and this is nothing like the show "homeland"

Elantris

Legendary science fiction author Orson Scott Card calls Brandon Sanderson a writer to watch, and Publishers Weekly says his debut is "outstanding." Once the godlike rulers of the capital of Arelon, the inhabitans of Elantris have been imprisoned within themselves, unable to die after the city's magic failed years ago. But when a new prince falls victim to the curse, he refuses to accept his fate.

I feel bad giving it only three stars overall, but it was kind of a drag for me to listen to. I ended up liking if you characters, but not really enjoying the story despite it being interesting. with only 10% left, I actually listened to an entire book before finishing this one. That says something.

The God Complex: A Thriller

When Cash Harris visits his father for the first time after a 15 year estrangement, things don't go anywhere near as planned. By the end of the night, he finds himself embroiled in a plot to destabilise the government, his father has been assassinated, and he discovers a shocking truth that would have fundamentally altered his life 15 years earlier.

this book reminded me a lot of the "Area 51" series by Bob Mayer where the characters aren't overly interesting or have much depth, but the listening is easy and enjoyable. i was a little bummed that it doesn't seem terribly set up for a sequel, but still well worth the credit.

Forbidden

New York Times bestselling author Ted Dekker teams with Tosca Lee to create this gripping thriller set in a desolate future. Many years have passed since civilization's brush with apocalypse. The world's greatest threats have all been silenced. There is no anger, no hatred, no war. There is only perfect peace... and fear. But a terrible secret has been closely guarded for centuries: Every single soul walking the earth, though in appearance totally normal, is actually dead, long ago genetically stripped of true humanity.

i also listened to book #2 hoping that the writing and characters would improve, but they didn't. they might have even gotten worse. the story is creative, but just about everything lacked depth. i won't be listening to book #3.

Mortal: The Books of Mortals, Book 2

A terrible secret was closely guarded for centuries: every single soul walking the earth, though in appearance totally normal, is actually dead, long ago genetically stripped of true humanity. Nine years have gone by since an unlikely hero named Rom Sebastian first discovered a secret and consumed an ancient potion of blood to bring himself back to life in Forbidden. Surviving against impossible odds, Rom has gathered a secret faction of followers who have also taken the blood - the first Mortals in a world that is dead.

i'm sure i couldn't do any better, but it sure seemed like the writing and dialog was written for young kids at times. the characters don't seem to have a lot of depth and somethings just flat out didn't make sense to me. i won't be listening to book 3.

Gone Girl: A Novel

It is Nick and Amy Dunne's fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick's clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn't doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media - as well as Amy's fiercely doting parents - the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he's definitely bitter - but is he really a killer?

Avogadro Corp: The Singularity Is Closer Than It Appears

David Ryan is the designer of ELOPe, an email language optimization program, that if successful, will make his career. But when the project is suddenly in danger of being canceled, David embeds a hidden directive in the software accidentally creating a runaway artificial intelligence. David and his team are initially thrilled when the project is allocated extra servers and programmers.

and in addition to no character development, the narrator seemed pretty bored with the story. it's like he was trying to put us to sleep. despite all that, since i liked the genre, i liked it enough to finish.

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